An attempt to visit three plain pubs in an hour and then squeeze in the days glamour National League fixture (AFC Fylde v Dover) fell apart at stage one, when it transpired that Salwick Station doesn’t actually exist. I bet Matthew Lawrenson could have told me that, and no doubt BRAPA wrote about it,… Continue reading THE FYLDE, ANYTHING BUT PLAIN
Author: retiredmartin
Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.
A DARWEN TRILOGY – PHIL THOMPSON, THE £2.60 PINT & DR. NO
I ought to colour code these posts so you can dip in and out more selectively. Perhaps; Green for your Complete Tourist Guide (e.g. to Nuneaton) Yellow for reflections on changing underpass art or shopfronts (e.g. in Stoke) Blue for Pub Cats Red for Draught Bass (obvs) Orange for a quick dip into a plain… Continue reading A DARWEN TRILOGY – PHIL THOMPSON, THE £2.60 PINT & DR. NO
NO HELLO, NO GOODBYE, NO SPACE AT THE BAR
My trips to Burnley haven’t always been successful, setting aside the 6-1 in 2010. Prosecco preposterousness in Padiham, pole-dancing pubs by the bus station (sorry, no pics) and some drab home-brew from the likes of Reedley Hallows (brewed by Harry Potter). But I admire their dogged if dull football team, and their generous GBG allocation,… Continue reading NO HELLO, NO GOODBYE, NO SPACE AT THE BAR
WELCOME TO RAWTENSTALL
We’re off to Cranborne Chase tomorrow for our annual non-Guardian reader music festival. Four hours, heavy traffic, avoid the Novichok, says Google Maps. Who knows what the WiFi will be like this year? You may be lucky to get more than a picture of Mrs RM in a field with a peacock and a… Continue reading WELCOME TO RAWTENSTALL
POLLY’S IN THE CITY OF DAN
No, not gollies, Polly’s. Still more fun from Coalville. Or nearby Whitwick, which you can walk from the Stamford (or run if you’ve just nicked Sod’s coat). The Three Horseshoes is another “A511 classic“, not quite as basic as the Stamford & Warrington, but still a culture shock for the American tourist acclimatised to our “Will… Continue reading POLLY’S IN THE CITY OF DAN
TOP 10 BASIC PUBS – THE STAMFORD & WARRINGTON HOTEL, COALVILLE
Well, I can wait no longer for BeerMat to claim the scoop. Here’s the evidence that Coalville has one of the world’s great basic pubs. And it may be on that silly National Heritage Inventory, but you’ve never heard of it (prove me wrong). I very nearly didn’t make it to meet BeerMat there at… Continue reading TOP 10 BASIC PUBS – THE STAMFORD & WARRINGTON HOTEL, COALVILLE
COALVILLE – WAITING FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
Life After Football (BeerMat to his Mum) is desperate to post about his trip to Coalville last week, where we met to discuss at length Birmingham City’s triumphs* and put the world of pubs to right. But he’s waiting to see what I write first. The world of pub blogging is as competitive as a… Continue reading COALVILLE – WAITING FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
THE ARCHITECTS OF CASK’S DEMISE
I know you’re desperate for news of Mrs RM‘s latest venture to keep me in the style to which I’m accustomed. She’s alternating between Northampton and Cambridge Councils, doing something involving IT, whatever that is. The Cambridge version of her job takes place at Castle Hill, the highest point in town (i.e. about the height… Continue reading THE ARCHITECTS OF CASK’S DEMISE
PUBMEN DO WOLVES. AGAIN
It’s a good job Stafford’s top #PubMan doesn’t sue me for using his picture on this blog, as he’s becoming almost as much a fixture as a dodgy pint of Otter. You’ll remember that Paul joined my Black Country Auditors Amble at the Great Western, a visit that divided opinion. But where next ? We’d… Continue reading PUBMEN DO WOLVES. AGAIN
OTTERS AND WOMBATS ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS
People do odd things in summer. Families of Guardian readers leave their Sussex homes and camp in the Somerset levels, singing jolly songs as they cycle past pumping stations, endless bungalow and drains. Sounds very much like March. I lasted an hour; an hour punctuated by having to say “Good morning !” at least 17… Continue reading OTTERS AND WOMBATS ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS
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